MLS, Sounders Players Still Not Close to Fair Share
Tensions continue to rise as MLS and the MLSPA still can't come to an agreement one week before the start of the Club World Cup
Major League Soccer has submitted a proposal to the MLS Players Association that would increase performance-based bonuses for the FIFA Club World Cup, which is scheduled to take place next week. However, the two don’t appear anywhere close to finding an agreement.
The league sent a proposal that, in my opinion, was pretty disrespectful early Friday afternoon, and the union responded in a statement released just a few hours ago. The union called the league’s proposal “retaliatory” and said the league “ignored months of attempts by players to engage” until making its most recent offer on Friday.
According to the terms of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), which last changed in early 2021, MLS players will earn a maximum of $1 million in prize money from any external tournament, including the Club World Cup. Every participating team, including the three MLS teams, will receive a minimum payment of $9.55 million for participating in the Club World Cup. What that $1 million cap part of the CBA didn’t account for at the time was FIFA changing things up and coming through with this insane prize money.
The new proposal MLS brought to the table would allocate $1 million from the $9.55 million participation fee to players, which was agreed in the initial Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). However, it would also add another 20 percent to any prize money earned beyond that, including for wins, draws, and advancement to subsequent rounds.
The league also allowed owners to convert $750,000 of the $9.55 million into General Allocation Money (GAM). According to Paul Tonorio and The Athletic, all three teams opted to max out the $750,000 despite the Sounders not having done anything with it yet.
The Seattle Sounders staged an incredibly impactful protest ahead of their 3-2 loss against Minnesota United last Sunday regarding the cap on the bonuses. Before the match started, Sounders owner Adrian Hanauer was seen storming off the sideline after receiving what one could only assume was a call from the league. Before the post-match press conference, sources reported that Hanauer had a temper tantrum and angrily confronted the team with a profanity-filled screaming match in the locker room.
Major League Soccer had been in discussions with the MLSPA for weeks regarding the bonuses and told the union on May 31 that it was willing to update the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). They were expected to send a formal proposal on June 2 regarding the bonus structure, but they barely presented it on Friday, June 6.
The MLSPAs' statement openly criticized MLS’s atrocious offer and its lack of willingness to engage on the matter in the weeks leading up to last Sunday’s protest.
“MLS spent most of last week making threats and promising retaliation against the MLSPA and players because Seattle players wore T-shirts that expressed frustration over the league’s refusal to engage about Club World Cup compensation,” the statement read. “After ignoring months of attempts by players to engage, late Friday afternoon, less than 48 hours before LAFC and Seattle players were to take the field once again, the league finally provided the PA with their first proposal on this issue. As promised, this proposal was retaliatory in nature.”
The union statement states that the MLS offer does not add any bonuses to the participation fees paid out by FIFA beyond the $1 million outlined in the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
The union statement then classified the 20% compensation as “below the international standard.”
“The timing, substance, and retaliatory nature of the proposal sends a clear message: MLS does not respect or value players’ efforts with regard to this tournament,” the MLSPA statement reads. Although not surprised, the players and the MLSPA are deeply disappointed by this message. “MLS’s refusal to negotiate in good faith has created a major distraction for the players who should be focusing on preparing for a major international competition. However, players will not be silenced by threats from MLS. The players remain united in using their collective voice and demanding a fair share of the rewards earned from their hard work.”
The MLSPA presented a desire for players to receive an “international standard” of 40 percent of all money distributed to MLS teams by FIFA, including the participation fee, any performance payments for results, or, by pure chance, advancement in the tournament. If MLS does not come to the table with a more reasonable proposal before the first kickoff on Saturday, the relationship between MLS and the players' union, which is getting increasingly hostile, could potentially complicate any future negotiations.
Should the Players sit?
That is a pretty complicated question to answer. While personally, I am all for supporting unions and protesting for fair wages, if the players from the Seattle Sounders, Inter Miami, and LAFC all refused to play in the Club World Cup, or any future matches for that matter, would be subjected to fines from the MLSPA for violating the CBA and fines from the league. Depending on the severity of the penalties, I firmly believe the players should sit. It’s incredibly unfair for them to have to play in this midseason tournament and not get fairly compensated for it.
I still think they need players like Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, Olivier Giroud, and Hugo Lloris to come out and make a statement. If the MLSPA can get those global superstars to speak out against this to other national outlets, then it would pressure Don Garber and the rest of MLS actually to give a fair proposal.
All Images: Leroy Freeman/Cascadia FC